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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lean — thin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com